This invention relates generally to bearing mounts and more particularly to a bearing mount which can be mounted in selected orientation to position a bearing according to the requirement of a particular installation.
Bearings have in the prior art been mounted in a number of ways depending upon the class and type of duty to which they are subjected and the application in which they are used. In one class of application, the bearings are mounted with the rotational axis at 90.degree. to the mounting surface (flange mount); with the rotational axis parallel to the mounting surface (pillow block mount); or with the rotational axis perpendicular to the mounting means and movable perpendicular thereto (take-up mounts) which in turn, are mounted to the equipment with which the bearings are associated. Typical applications for such bearings and mounts have been for conveyors of all types as, for example, used in the forest products industry, mining material handling and other industries. Such mounts have also been used in farm machinery such as harvesters, balers, coulters, in manufacturing process equipment, in heating and air conditioning equipment for commercial and residential use, in automatic car wash equipment, in boat trailers, in aircraft control and cargo systems and numerous other applications throughout all phases of economic activity.
The applications generally discussed above employ mounts in which installation misalignment and other mounting inaccuracies can be accommodated to permit easy bolt-on installation to inaccurate, inexpensive structural supports such as sheet metal, angles, plates, channels and the like. This ability is provided by a mount which allows a precision bearing to move relative to the mount to align with the associated shaft. Following bearing mount installation, the shafts are easily inserted into and locked to the bearing at minimal cost.
Bearings have been mounted in flange mountings which can be two-piece pressed or stamped steel or solid flange units in a variety of materials. The flange mounts are adapted to be face mounted to associated equipment by two, three or more bolts with the shaft generally running perpendicular to the mounting surface. Bearings have also been mounted in two-piece stamped or pressed steel pillow blocks or in solid pillow blocks in a variety of materials. The pillow blocks include bases for mounting to the associated equipment and the shafts generally extending parallel to the mounting base. In other uses, bearings have been mounted on take-up units which also have included two-piece stampings of pressed or stamped steel or cast housing each including means for engaging spaced guide means and cooperating with take-up means for moving the associated shaft in a direction generally perpendicular to its axis to tighten associated belts, chains or other drive means. A typical installation is in a conveyor take-up idler to maintain suitable belt tension.
It will be apparent that for light duty jobs, pressed or stamped steel housing or mounts are entirely suitable, whereas for heavy applications suitable heavy duty cast iron or steel flange mounts, pillow blocks or take-ups are required. The latter, of course, are bulky and heavy. The manufacturer and distributor must, of course, stock a large number and variety of bearing mounts in order to meet the various different types of duty and mounting requirements. In addition to the above, pillow blocks are manufactured with different mounting base bearing centerline heights to satisfy different installation needs and commercial standards, again increasing the number of pillow blocks which must be stored for different duties or installation configurations. The user, if he has multiple applications, must also store complete lines of different flange unit mountings, pillow blocks and take-up units. Consequently, the user, manufacturer and distributor must carry a large and complex inventory of bearing mounts to assure that the proper type of mount is available at all times to serve the multiple applications.